NEWS: A digest of aerospace, defense and technology news from the Gulf Coast I-10 region

Monday, February 27, 2017

Eglin and India's PSLV

The squadron's AN/FPS-85 radar.Air Force photo

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 20th Space Control Squadron's Charlie Crew successfully tracked India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Feb. 15. Loaded with 104 satellites, the Indian PSLV set the record for the most spacecraft launched by a single rocket. "This launch is important because we want to ensure our national assets aren't impacted," said Lt. Col. Raj Agrawal, 20th SPCS commander. Using the world's most powerful phased-array radar, the space surveillance squadron uses an integrated team of military and civilian airmen to track an estimated 23,000 near-Earth and deep-space objects each day. The AN/FPS-85 is the only phased array radar capable of tracking objects 40,000 kilometers away. (Source: Eglin Public Affairs, 02/27/17)